Austin vs Budapest vs Cape Town vs Chiang Mai vs Da Nang vs Rio de Janeiro vs Seoul

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Remove	Da Nang 🇻🇳 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Seoul 🇰🇷 Remove
Population	926,426	1,768,073	4,617,560	1,166,978	1,125,316	6,718,903	9,963,452
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	Hungarian	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Thai	Vietnamese	Portuguese	Korean
Level of English	Very high	High	Very high	Low	Low	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)	Da Nang International Airport (DAD)	Galeão International Airport	Incheon International Airport (ICN)
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	March - June, September - November	March - May, September - November	November - April	February - May	January - March, December	March - May, September - November
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	KRW - South Korean won (₩)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted sometimes. Cash preferred in many places.	Accepted in some places. Cash also needed.	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$1230	$1549	$974	$959	$1833	$2184
Rent	$1650	$499	$618	$274	$316	$1066	$797
Groceries	$243	$108	$129	$169	$161	$95	$356
Dining out	$396	$202	$269	$108	$128	$210	$211
Cafe	$66	$29	$32	$45	$35	$25	$69
Coworking space	$331	$120	$151	$95	$88	$130	$222
Mobile internet	$40	$9	$27	$11	$4	$7	$40
Public transportation	$110	$36	$55	$60	$15	$33	$40
Taxis	$73	$27	$21	$20	$15	$14	$41
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$13	$49	$10	$0	$16	$13
Sport and cultural events	$54	$24	$19	$8	$6	$55	$39
Museums and sights	$11	$7	$15	$8	$2	$26	$6
Nightlife	$124	$43	$43	$62	$74	$54	$93
Gym	$62	$37	$36	$41	$34	$31	$69
Yoga	$139	$48	$56	$55	$71	$40	$112
Massage	$89	$26	$30	$10	$10	$32	$75
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	Vodafone, Telenor	MTN, Vodacom	AIS, DTAC	Viettel, Vinafone	Tim, Claro, Vivo	KT, SK Telecom, LG Uplus
Tipping	15-20% at restaurants, 1USD or more per drink at cafes and bars	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% at restaurants, not customary or expected elsewhere	5-15% in restaurants, round up at bars and cafes	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common	Not customary or expected
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber, Bolt	Grab	Grab	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	Uber, Kakao
Tap water	Drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable
Overall cuisine	Emphasis on barbecued meats (beef and pork) as well as corn-based dishes and tex-mex, and rich American-style desserts.	Magyar cuisine makes extensive use of creams, cheeses and sauces primarily in beef, chicken and pork dishes, mixed with seasonal vegetables, fruits and rich desserts.	South African cuisine has been shaped by a long history of Dutch, Malay, British and Indian settlements, making the food diverse and strong in flavor. There is a strong emphasis on game in all of its different forms, as well as spicy sauces and sautéed vegetables and dry-cured meats. Creamy desserts and liqueurs compliment large and flavorful meals.	Combines salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors to create bold and colorful dishes. Meals typically include a mixture of meat and seafood dishes, as well as noodles or soups recipes. Strong emphasis on local spices and vegetables.	Healthy and with robust flavors, Vietnamese cuisine combines noodles and rice with a variety of greens and local herbs to compliment specially seasoned pork, beef or seafood dishes. In Da Nang, you'll find a strong emphasis on barbecued seafood dishes as well as fish-based sauces.	Emphasis on rice, beans, pork and beef with a variety of root vegetables and fresh fruits. Fresh seafood is also very common.	Emphasis on rice, vegetables, spices and meats. Main dishes are coupled with diverse side dishes and desserts. Strong driking culture.
Local food specialities	Frito pie, queso, apple pie, kolaches, BBQ ribs, tacos	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Khao soi, khan toke, sai oua, miang kham, nam prik, khanom jeen nam ngiaw, larb khua	Chao Tom, Bahn Xeo, Goi Cuon, Bun Thit Nuong, Bahn Cuon, Mi Quang, Bun nam, Bun cha ca	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.	Kimchi, bulgogi, chap chae, mandu, sam gae tang, bossam
Eat like a local	Local tex-mex restaurants, lunch BBQ joints, taquerias, food trucks, local breweries	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Street food stalls, local markets, bakeries and smaller, traditional restaurants that serve fresh food	Smaller, local restaurants, roadside eateries, street food stalls and local markets	The "snack capital" of Brazil, Rio is a perfect place to try street food as well as the wide varieties of small, traditional eateries and churrascarias easily found across the city.	Smaller, local eateries (sikdang), street stalls and local markets
Vegetarian / vegan options	30 options on HappyCow	47 options on HappyCow	24 options on HappyCow	90 options on HappyCow	107 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow	57 options on Happy Cow